Rideau Skating Rink
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| Location | Corner of Theodore (now Laurier) and Waller |
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| Coordinates | 45°25′25″N 75°41′09″W / 45.4237°N 75.68580°WCoordinates: 45°25′25″N 75°41′09″W / 45.4237°N 75.68580°W |
| Owner | Rideau Skating and Curling Club |
| Operator | Rideau Skating and Curling Club |
| Surface | Multi-surface (one curling, one hockey and figure skating) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1887 |
| Opened | February 1st 1889 |
| Renovated | 1919 |
| Tenants | |
| Ottawa Hockey Club, several local hockey leagues, skating and curling clubs | |
The Rideau Skating Rink was an indoor skating and curling facility located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Consisting of a curling rink and a skating rink, it was one of the first indoor rinks in Canada. The Rideau Rink was scheduled to open on January 10 but unseasonably mild weather postponed the grand opening to February 1. It opened in January 25, 1889 for select V.I.P's although this was a misunderstanding and should not have denied entry to season ticket holders. It was located on Theodore Street, (now Laurier Avenue) at Waller Street, at the present location of the Arts Hall of the University of Ottawa, near the Rideau Canal.
While it was also used for figure skating, skating championships and curling, it is possibly most notable for its hockey use. It was the site of the first recorded organized women's ice hockey game on March 8, 1889. It was also the site of the first Ontario men's ice hockey championship game on March 7, 1891.
Skating was popular in the 1880s in Ottawa. Ottawans would skate on the Rideau and Ottawa rivers and the Rideau Canal, and at covered rinks such as the Royal and Dey's Rink. As in Montreal, costume skating carnivals were highlights of the social scene.
By 1887, the Royal Rink had been converted into a roller rink and the demand for ice time on the Dey's Rink was greater than the rink could supply. Due to the lack of ice time available, the Ottawa Hockey Club became dormant. Local investors, together with the Capital Skating Club decided to build a new rink, finer than Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink. The new rink was also to be used for curling, so the enterprise became known as the Rideau Skating and Curling Club. The project was sponsored by Lord Stanley, the Governor-General, who took shares in the project.
The rink had separate skating and curling surfaces, and was laid out in an 'L' plan, with one entrance on Theodore and one on Waller. The entrance on Theodore had a cupola. The roof was supported by 42-foot (13 m) high arches. The construction was not without incident and the incomplete building collapsed in a windstorm on November 16, 1888, but the building was ready for skating in January 1889. Lord Stanley participated in its formal opening festivities on February 1, 1889. The Rideau Rink hosted a small version of a Winter Carnival on its opening night which was a huge success. The 43rd band under the direction of James Carter, band master, gave an excellent programme.
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